News archive 2014

Thanks to IYFF, many more people around the world are now aware of the importance of the sector - statistics show that family farms produce more than 80 percent of the world's food in value terms and represent collectively the largest source of employment worldwide.

Each year millions of people dependant on agriculture, forestry and fisheries are confronted by droughts, floods, plant pests or animal diseases, and conflict. When that happens, the livelihoods of communities can be left in tatters, while disruptions to food production and distribution undermine the food security of nations and entire regions.

Earlier this year, the People's Republic of China, Japan and the Republic of Korea reported outbreaks of H5N8 in poultry as well as findings in migratory birds and waterfowl. The fact that the virus has now been found within a very short time interval in three European countries, both in a wild bird and in three very different poultry production systems, suggests that wild birds may have played a role in spreading the virus, FAO and OIE experts said.

The time is now for bold action to shoulder the challenge of Zero Hunger and ensure adequate nutrition for all, FAO Director-General José Graziano da Silva said today in closing remarks to the Second International Conference on Nutrition (ICN2).

Pope Francis tells delegates from 172 countries at the Second International Conference on Nutrition to view food, nutrition and the environment as global public issues and warned that when "solidarity is lacking in one country, it's felt around the world."

The installation, a giant blue spoon, was unveiled during a ceremony at FAO's Rome headquarters. Made out of recyclable materials, and symbolizing a tool common to all food traditions, it represents the UN's Zero Hunger Challenge which aims to eradicate chronic undernourishment.

Ministers and senior officials responsible for health, food or agriculture and other aspects of nutrition adopted the Rome Declaration on Nutrition, and a Framework for Action, which set out recommendations for policies and programmes to address nutrition across multiple sectors.

Governments need to lead the way against hunger and malnutrition, but this effort must be collective and involve parliamentarians, civil society and the private sector, according to FAO Director General José Graziano da Silva

The meeting was organized in Rome by the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) which represents lawmakers from over 170 countries. The event held under the title "Parliaments for better nutrition" served as a forum for an exchange of views on key nutrition challenges and opportunities ahead of the Second International Conference on Nutrition (ICN2).